Certified document translation
Chinese to English Translation Services
Certified Chinese to English translation costs $24.95 per page of the source document, whatever the number of characters on it, delivered in 2 to 3 business days with a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy from the qualified professional translator responsible for the work. We translate official Chinese-language documents from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, prepared for official use including USCIS filings.
Pricing
Exact prices, shown before you pay
Standard
$19.95 per page
3 to 5 business days
A professional translation with digital delivery.
Certified
$24.95 per page
2 to 3 business days
A certified translation accepted for official use.
Premium
$39.95 per page
1 to 2 business days
A certified translation, translated first.
One page is up to 250 words.
Requirements
What a certified translation must include
- A complete, word for word English translation of the entire document, including seals, stamps, signatures, and marginal notes.
- A signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy stating that the translation is complete and accurate and that the translator is competent to translate.
- The certificate carries the printed name and signature of the qualified professional translator, the language pair, the date, and the order reference.
- A QR code on the certificate opens a public verification record for the order.
Good to know
How Chinese-language documents work
In mainland China, documents for use abroad are usually produced as notarial certificates (公证书, gongzhengshu) by notary public offices (公证处, gongzhengchu), which the justice administration authorities supervise. Civil affairs bureaus (民政局, minzhengju) register marriages and divorces and issue the marriage and divorce certificates. Hospitals and other licensed birth facilities issue the Medical Certificate of Birth (出生医学证明, chusheng yixue zhengming). Public security organs (公安机关, gong'an jiguan) keep the household register (户口, hukou), issue resident identity cards and answer criminal record queries through local police stations (派出所, paichusuo). In Taiwan, household registration offices (戶政事務所, huzheng shiwusuo) under the Ministry of the Interior record births, marriages, divorces and deaths and issue household registration transcripts (戶籍謄本, huji tengben). In Hong Kong, the Immigration Department's registries issue certified copies of birth, death and marriage entries.
Documents from mainland China arrive in a few recurring formats. Booklets come from the agency that keeps the record, such as the household register booklet (户口簿, hukoubu, also called 户口本, hukouben), the marriage certificate (结婚证, jiehunzheng) and the divorce certificate (离婚证, lihunzheng). Single-sheet certificates include the hospital-issued Medical Certificate of Birth and the Medical Certificate of Death (居民死亡医学证明, jumin siwang yixue zhengming). Notarial certificates (公证书) are bound booklets from a notary public office that pair a photocopy of the underlying record, or a statement of the certified fact, with the notary's certificate and often an English translation. Court judgments (判决书, panjueshu) and mediation statements (调解书, tiaojieshu), university certificates and transcripts, and online verification reports from CHSI (学信网, Xuexin Wang) are also common, and many agencies now issue electronic certificates (电子证照, dianzi zhengzhao) that carry a QR or verification code.
China (People's Republic) acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention on 8 March 2023, and the Convention entered into force for it on 7 November 2023, so mainland public documents for use in the United States can now carry an apostille instead of consular legalization. Hong Kong and Macao applied the Convention long before that date. Taiwan is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so Taiwanese documents cannot receive an apostille.
In its 2023 declarations, China confirmed that the Apostille Convention continues to apply to the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions, where it has been in force since 25 April 1965 and 4 February 1969 respectively. In Hong Kong the designated competent authorities are the Registrar, Senior Deputy Registrar and Deputy Registrar of the High Court and the Administrative Secretary; in Macao they are the Secretary for Administration and Justice and the Director and Deputy Directors of the Justice Affairs Department.
How it works
From upload to certified delivery
Step 1
Upload and get an instant quote
Send us your document, choose your languages, and see your price right away.
Step 2
A professional translator translates it
A qualified professional translator translates your document.
Step 3
Reviewed for accuracy and certified
Your translation is reviewed for accuracy and certified with a signed certificate of accuracy.
Step 4
Receive your certified translation
You receive your certified translation, ready for official use.
Questions
Common questions
- Which countries' documents do you translate from Chinese?
- We translate Chinese-language documents from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau. The certified translation is prepared for use in the United States.
- Who issues official Chinese-language documents?
- In mainland China, documents for use abroad are usually produced as notarial certificates (公证书, gongzhengshu) by notary public offices (公证处, gongzhengchu), which the justice administration authorities supervise. Civil affairs bureaus (民政局, minzhengju) register marriages and divorces and issue the marriage and divorce certificates. Hospitals and other licensed birth facilities issue the Medical Certificate of Birth (出生医学证明, chusheng yixue zhengming). Public security organs (公安机关, gong'an jiguan) keep the household register (户口, hukou), issue resident identity cards and answer criminal record queries through local police stations (派出所, paichusuo). In Taiwan, household registration offices (戶政事務所, huzheng shiwusuo) under the Ministry of the Interior record births, marriages, divorces and deaths and issue household registration transcripts (戶籍謄本, huji tengben). In Hong Kong, the Immigration Department's registries issue certified copies of birth, death and marriage entries.
- What document formats should I expect from China?
- Documents from mainland China arrive in a few recurring formats. Booklets come from the agency that keeps the record, such as the household register booklet (户口簿, hukoubu, also called 户口本, hukouben), the marriage certificate (结婚证, jiehunzheng) and the divorce certificate (离婚证, lihunzheng). Single-sheet certificates include the hospital-issued Medical Certificate of Birth and the Medical Certificate of Death (居民死亡医学证明, jumin siwang yixue zhengming). Notarial certificates (公证书) are bound booklets from a notary public office that pair a photocopy of the underlying record, or a statement of the certified fact, with the notary's certificate and often an English translation. Court judgments (判决书, panjueshu) and mediation statements (调解书, tiaojieshu), university certificates and transcripts, and online verification reports from CHSI (学信网, Xuexin Wang) are also common, and many agencies now issue electronic certificates (电子证照, dianzi zhengzhao) that carry a QR or verification code.
- Is an apostille the same as a certified translation?
- No. An apostille authenticates the original document for international use, while a certified translation renders its content into English with a signed accuracy certificate. China (People's Republic) acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention on 8 March 2023, and the Convention entered into force for it on 7 November 2023, so mainland public documents for use in the United States can now carry an apostille instead of consular legalization. Hong Kong and Macao applied the Convention long before that date. Taiwan is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so Taiwanese documents cannot receive an apostille.
A translation error is ours to fix
If your certified translation is rejected because of a translation error we made, we correct it at no charge, and if the corrected translation is rejected again for that same error we refund what you paid for it. Our Refund Policy sets out the conditions and what it does not cover. Your documents are encrypted and kept confidential from start to finish.
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